Just nowHydration breaks fuel debate as game rhythm put to the test England fans accustomed to the relentless pace of the Premier League have loudly booed hydration breaks at the World Cup, but Thomas Tuchel’s side benefited from them after going down early in a comeback win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.“After an intense start to both halves, England used their hydration breaks well to regroup, reorganise ​and get on the front foot before ​finding the net twice in the ⁠final 15 minutes,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Instagram.“These breaks are so important to give players a break during tournament play, while also allowing all coaches a dedicated moment in every match — not just depending on the weather conditions — to engage directly with their ​players.”Football’s lawmakers, IFAB, said cooling breaks of between 90 seconds and three minutes are allowed. Infantino said hydration breaks were introduced in ​every match of the ⁠World Cup regardless of temperatures in the interests of sporting equity. Not everyone is a fan.“The breaks create a stop of momentum,” former Premier League striker and television pundit Stan Collymore said on social media. “I’ve never seen one match in thousands I’ve watched or played in that’s been better with more stoppages. Not one.”The sentiment was largely the same across social media platforms as ⁠fans decried the ​effective creation of games divided into four quarters. An analysis from PeakMetrics found 75% of online conversation ​surrounding hydration breaks was unfavourable.The question is whether hydration breaks are here to stay. UEFA said its current cooling-break rules are sufficient and the Premier League has no plans to follow suit. But football has repeatedly embraced innovations ​once viewed as unthinkable, from the back-pass rule to VAR and longer stoppage time. Hydration breaks may yet prove another lasting addition.Just nowWatch: Egyptian fans greet Mo Salah in Dallas23m ago / 11:39 AM EDTPortugal advances, Croatia sent packing after dramatic finish Portugal advanced to the round of 16 after a wild 2-1 win against Croatia yesterday in Toronto. The game was tied 0-0 after a pretty uneventful first half, but the second half more than made up for it. Croatia struck first, with Ivan Perišić scoring in the 53rd minute.Soon after, Portugal drew a penalty kick off a corner and Ronaldo coolly sent in a goal, the first time he’s scored in a World Cup knockout round.The game remained tied into stoppage time and seemed destined for extra time until Portugal sent a cross into the box and Gonçalo Ramos headed in the go-ahead goal in the 94th minute.Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol nearly scored an equalizer about 13 minutes into added time, but the goal was taken away for an offside call via replay review. This probably marked the last World Cup game for Croatia legend Luka Modrić, 40, while Portugal’s star Ronaldo survived to play another game.Portugal will now play European champion Spain in a star-studded clash in Dallas on Monday. The winner of that tie will face either the United States or Belgium in a quarterfinal on July 10.29m ago / 11:33 AM EDTClimate change behind sweltering World Cup, scientists say Climate change linked to fossil fuel use set the stage for extraordinary heat and humidity that has cast at least one World Cup game into ​a potential danger zone, according to the World Weather Attribution group of climate ‌scientists.Saturday’s game between Paraguay and France is set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. ET in Philadelphia with temperatures that exceed FIFPRO’s recommendations for safe play, as a heat dome settles over large swaths of the U.S. ​and parts of Canada.The U.S. National Weather Service warned this week that the heat dome — ​a high-pressure system which traps hot air beneath it — could see heat indices hit ⁠105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the Midwest and East Coast, with many ​World Cup host sites affected.The conditions threaten to strain power grids and impact outdoor celebrations for the ​United States’ 250th anniversary in a busy Fourth of July holiday weekend.“When a historic Fourth of July celebration is disrupted, and World Cup matches are played in conditions that are unsafe for players and fans, it ​shouldn’t take another scientific study to wake people up,” Friederike Otto, Professor of Climate Science ​at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, said in a statement.“Climate change is here, it’s already ‌impacting the ⁠things we enjoy in our everyday lives, and it will continue to get worse the longer we drag out the inevitable transition to net zero emissions.”29m ago / 11:33 AM EDTJohan Manzambi leads Switzerland to round of 32 winJohan Manzambi delivered another standout performance at the World Cup as Switzerland booked their place in the round of 16 on Thursday, the 20-year-old setting up ​his team’s opener in a 2-0 victory over Algeria.Coming into the game with three ‌goals and an assist to his name, Manzambi was once again central to Switzerland’s attacking threat as they ended an 88-year wait for a World Cup knockout victory.After scoring one and setting up another in the ​2-1 group-stage win over co-hosts Canada, Manzambi was handed a second consecutive World Cup ​start by coach Murat Yakin. The youngster repaid that faith with a display full ⁠of confidence and intelligence.Switzerland’s opener was a perfect illustration of his quality. Picking up the ​ball on the left flank, Manzambi drove forward with purpose before whipping a low cross across ​the face of goal for Breel Embolo to sweep home.“I think ⁠that you can really use Manzambi on every single position,” Yakin told reporters. “He’s incredibly versatile and assertive."The victory ⁠was a ​significant one for Switzerland, who had suffered round-of-16 exits ​in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022. The three-times quarter-finalists have not progressed to the last eight since 1954.Switzerland next play ​either Colombia or Ghana in Vancouver.